Brock Lesnar to open tonight's episode of Raw

With tonight's episode of Raw going against game five of the NBA finals, many wondered how WWE would use Brock Lesnar's return to best minimize the damage from the tough competition.

We now know that Lesnar will be opening the show, with WWE announcing the news on their website this afternoon. We'll see if that builds up another appearance later or if it will be the only time he's on the show.

It had been known that Lesnar would be returning on tonight's episode for some time, but WWE confirmed it last week after Samoa Joe choked out Paul Heyman in the Coquina Clutch to send a message to Lesnar. At Great Balls of Fire on July 9th, Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship for the first time against Joe.

Tonight's appearance will be the first time Lesnar has been on WWE television since the post-WrestleMania edition of Raw. Cesaro & Sheamus defending their tag titles against The Hardys is also advertised.

The Golden State Warriors have a chance to win the NBA Championship tonight after the Cleveland Cavaliers extended the series in game four. The game begins at 9 p.m. ET, meaning that the first hour of Raw won't face competition from basketball.